Cheat Sheet

Cake Decorating For Dummies

Before you bake and decorate a cake, make sure you have the right cake decorating ingredients and supplies readily available. Take your time and follow easy decorating steps when you frost your cake. If you’re in a time crunch, use some quick decorating ideas for your cake. Before you present your cake, go through a pre-showtime checklist so your cake looks great.

Cake Decorating Supplies Checklist

Certain tools and equipment (some common, some specialized) are required for cake decorating. Be prepared ahead of time by organizing your cake decorating equipment into a kit. These things are what you’ll need for your cake decorating adventures:

Icing tips, such as #1–#10 for dots, lines, and scripting; #16, #18, #21, and #32 for forming stars; #48 for basketweaving; #67 for forming leaves; #104 for creating flowers; and a flower nail such as a #7

Cake Decorating Ingredients You Need

Having a variety of fresh high-quality products will help you to bake and decorate great cakes. Common ingredients you should have stocked in your kitchen are:

Cake flour

Unsalted butter for baking and mixing frostings

White granulated sugar

Confectioners’ sugar for frostings and icings

Eggs, at room temperature

Whole milk

Pasteurized egg whites for royal icing

Coloring gels, in a variety of colors, to shade frostings

Baking powder

Baking soda

Flavorings and extracts

Edible embellishments such as hard candies, chocolates, nuts, fruits, sprinkles, sanding sugars, and nonpareils, as well as marzipan for modeling

Nonedible embellishments such as candles and fresh flowers

How to Frost Your Cake

When frosting your cake, make sure you have the right tools, time, and attention to detail. Follow these easy steps for frosting your cake. (The directions are for a double-layer, 9 inch cake but can be easily adapted to other sizes.)

Have your bottom cake layer on a cardboard round (or the board it will sit on), and place strips of wax paper underneath it around its borders.

Use the silicone brush to gently sweep off excess crumbs, and then use a wide-angled spatula to spread an even layer of frosting on top of the bottom layer. Put the second layer on top and again sweep off excess crumbs.

Spread another layer of frosting on top of the cake and all around the sides. You’ve now formed your crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for the frosting to crust over.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and use an offset spatula to spread frosting cleanly and evenly, beginning first on top and then frosting the sides. Use the spatula to achieve a flat, smooth look, adding and removing frosting for a finished, polished presentation.

Quick Cake Decorating Ideas

If you’re running short on time, you can still create a cake that will draw oohs and ahs of admiration. Try these last-minute cake decorating toppings and methods:

Top your cake with chocolate shavings or curls.

Group nonpoisonous fresh flowers, such as roses or daisies wrapped with a grosgrain or organza ribbon, atop your confection.

Use a stencil and sift confectioners’ sugar or cocoa over your creation.

Decorate cake plates with sauces — such as hot fudge or raspberry purée — that complement a cake slice.